Ohio Arts Council Approves 120 Grants Totaling $505,945
by Jami Goldstein
At a public meeting on February 28, 2008 the Ohio Arts Council Board approved the second round of grants for fiscal year 2008. The Ohio Arts Council will award 120 grants totaling $505,945 to support arts organizations, arts programs and artists across Ohio. This grant announcement was delayed due to a pending budget cut which was finalized April 22.
The Council Board has approved a total of 607 grants totaling $9,340,668 for fiscal year 2008 after reviewing 1263 requests for $17,954,367.
Organizations that receive OAC funds are required to match state tax dollars with additional public and private funds. In general, for every state tax dollar invested, $45 is raised in matching funds by recipient organizations.
For more information specific to this round of grant announcements, download the following PDF files –
a by-city list of grants awarded in this round.
Individual Creativity - Individual Excellence Awards by discipline
Thirty (30) Arts Access grants were approved totaling $42,990. The Arts Access program provides funds for first-time applicants to the OAC, startup organizations, community-driven one-time projects and organizations with budgets under $25,000.
Artists with Disabilities Access
Three (3) Artists with Disabilities Access grants were approved totaling $1,500. The Artists with Disabilities Access Program (ADAP) is designed to help artists with disabilities move to a higher level of artistic development.
Arts Partnerships
One (1) Arts Partnership grant was awarded totaling $10,000. The program provides one- or two-year grants to support activities that enhance the quality of and access to learning in the arts for learners of all ages, backgrounds, experience levels and abilities.
Capacity Building
Nineteen (19) Capacity Building grants were awarded for a total of $71,127. The program provides funds to strengthen Ohio’s nonprofit arts and cultural sector by helping organizations improve internal governance and leadership, cultivate strategic community linkages and develop financial and human resources for long-term stability.
Individual Excellence
Fifty one (51) Individual Excellence Awards were approved totaling $240,000. Individual Excellence Awards are peer recognition of creative artists for the exceptional merit of a body of work that advances or exemplifies the discipline and the larger artistic community. These awards support artists’ growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond in 13 different disciplines.
International Partnership Program
Four (4) International Partnership Program grants were approved totaling $22,300. The International Partnership Program promotes long-term international cultural exchanges and encourages Ohio artists and arts organizations to form partnerships with arts professionals in other countries.
Special Organization
Twelve (12) Special Organization grants were approved for a total of $118,028.
2008 grant information to date as well as complete grant information dating back to FY1998 is searchable on the Ohio Arts Council Web site at www.oac.state.oh.us/search/grants/SearchGrants.asp
Grant applications were reviewed last winter and spring by panels of arts experts and Ohio Arts Council staff. The Council Board, consisting of 15 gubernatorial appointees and four nonvoting members from the Ohio legislature, makes final decisions based on panel recommendations.
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
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